


Intertwined

by LuckySeasons



Category: American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-08-20 00:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16545080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckySeasons/pseuds/LuckySeasons
Summary: Jaelyn has dreamed about a beautiful blond boy since she was fourteen. Her mother thinks she's crazy, but Jaelyn isn't so sure. The dreams feel real, and there is definitely more to Michael that meets the eye.-Pre and post-apocalypse.





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time sharing my work in like a decade, and I'm super excited. Hope you enjoy!

_“Oh, you and I…Safe from the world, though the world will try.”_

 

* * *

  

Jaelyn Price was probably crazy. It had been two days since her MRI, and now wires were adhered to her body as she prepped for a sleep study. She had scars on her hands and irrational thoughts constantly buzzing around in her head. But those weren’t the reasons for the constant examinations. The problem was her boyfriend, Michael.

 

It had been three years since they me in her room when she was 14. She was dreaming, and then he came. He was kind, a bit mischievous, and handsome in a boyish way. The time they spent together made Jaelyn happier than she’d been in a while. The only problem was that he didn’t exist.

 

When Jaelyn first told her mother, she expected her to find it weird or funny. But Susan Price was incredibly concerned. All Jaelyn wanted to do was share about the boy she’d dreamt about for so long, but Susan was convinced it was a big problem. She consulted many medical and psychological professionals to treat Jaelyn. She was 17, nearly a high school graduate, but she felt so small and afraid. It was a mistake to tell her mother about Michael, but it was too late to change anything.

 

A nurse in purple Scooby Doo scrubs gave Jaelyn a glass of water. The nurse was at the doorway in about three steps. She turned around, lush ponytail swishing over her shoulder.

 

“Just try to relax,” She flipped the light switch. “All you have to do is sleep.”

 

Yeah, Jaelyn thought. Easy for you to say. Outwardly, she nodded and smiled.

 

She downed the water, though it was warm and tasted metallic. The pillow was too soft, and she sunk into the bed as she lay and stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, never feeling more alone than she did in that cold, dark room.

 

When Jaelyn opened her eyes again, she knew she wasn’t really awake. The small room was covered in a light blue haze that always accompanied Michael’s visits. The wires and cords weren’t attached to her body anymore. She turned onto her side and saw him leaning coolly against the dark wall.

 

Michael wore dark jeans and a black muscle shirt. His arms were crossed, and his strawberry blond waves were tousled as usual.

 

Jaelyn shoved herself up to sit. She gave him a once over and sighed.

 

“Seriously?” she grumbled.

 

He barely fought a smirk.  “What?”

 

“You could have taken me anywhere,” she said. He had, in the past, taken her to parks or movies. Sometimes, a nice picnic. “And you’re dressed. I’m in my stupid pajamas.”

 

She gestured to her big ratty t-shirt and flannel pants. The rules of the sleep study were that she wears what she usually wore to bed. In these /dreams, though, she often wore jeans and a t-shirt. Sometimes a simple dress, if it fit the occasion.

 

Michael’s eyes danced as he pushed himself off the wall to sit next to her on the bed.

 

“You were scared, and you wanted me to be here. So, I came.” His hand rested on the back of her neck, fingers gently caressing the back of her scalp. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

 

She tried to take comfort in his touch, like she usually did. He could take her anywhere. But she’d still feel the same sinking feeling.

 

“No, it’s fine,” she looked down at her hands and noticed one of her scabs was bleeding from picking.

 

Michael’s large hands came into view as he put them on hers.

 

She paused, raising her dark eyes to the familiar shade of blue.

 

“Anything you want to talk about?”

 

He still wore the smirk on his lips, but his eyes shone with sincerity.

 

Jaelyn looked at their now intertwined fingers. “After all these results come back, they’ll find out I’m crazy. Then they’ll send me to an asylum and electroshock me until I forget you and everything else. And I don’t wanna forget you, even though it’d probably be better if I did.”

 

Her vision went blurry. The only sounds for a moment were her sniffles and distant beeping in other rooms.

 

“Jaelyn,” his voice was just above a whisper. “Can you look at me please?”

 

With some effort, she met his eyes again. They were such an icy shade but made her feel so warm. How did he do it?

 

He let go of her hands to hold the sides of her face. His thumbs wiped stray tears from her cheeks.

 

“You are not crazy, I promise. The tests will come back normal.”

 

“How do you know that?” She challenged.

 

“Trust me,” he said. “And I’ve told you, if you ever want me to go, I will. Especially if it would make your life easier.”

 

Jaelyn’s life wasn’t miserable by any means. It was just hard. Her father left before Jaelyn was born, and her mother barely had enough money to support the two of them. The medical bills weren’t helping at all. She knew it would be better to take him up on the offer. But she also knew she was a lot happier having him around.

 

“Michael,” her hands went to the sides of his waist, “I don’t ever want you to leave.”

 

His smile had a tinge of sadness that came up every once in a while. “Then I won’t.”

 

She had a clear view of his face after the tears stopped. It was amazing that her mind could create such a fucking angelic face. Her eyes trailed down to his lips, and she pulled him for a kiss.

 

Michael’s kisses, to her, were kind of like an atomic fireball candy. They were so warm, almost too much at times. At the same time, they were comforting and sweet. It was the sweetness that made them go overboard at times. Too many times, she’d woken up with swollen lips (Her mother insisted she must have bitten her own lips). Once, she had purple love bites peppering her neck and collarbone (Luckily, it was winter, so she wore a week’s worth of turtlenecks.).

 

Michael broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers.

 

“If we don’t stop, your heart rate will mess up the results.”

 

“You sure think a lot of yourself,” she said.

 

He chuckled, pressing his lips against hers again. “You better go back to sleep.”

 

“I’m already asleep.”

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

And she did. If she spent a long time with Michael during the night, she’d wake up happy, but tired. It almost felt like she hadn’t slept at all.

 

Michael kissed her yet again and started to stand.

 

“Wait,” Jaelyn said, clutching his shirt. “Will you sleep with me?”

 

He quirked a brow, the smirk returning to his lips.

 

“Just sleep, Michael,” she rolled her eyes.

 

When he nodded, she lay down, rolling over to face the wall. A content smile came to her face as his body pressed against the back of hers. His arms wrapped around her middle, and his chin rested on top of her head. He repeated something Jaelyn heard him say dozens of times.

 

“There’s so much I want to tell you.”

 

"I know." She yawned and fell into a deeper sleep.


	2. So It Goes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the feedback on chapter one! I decided to give y'all 2 chapters this week, but from now on a new chapter will be coming out weekly. I'm thinking Wednesdays or Thursdays. If you have questions or wanna discuss the fic with me, my tumblr is dailylangdon. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

_"Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame?"_

* * *

 

Michael was right: none of Jaelyn’s tests were irregular. She scanned the puke green walls of her psychiatrist’s office from his stiff couch. On the left were three Ivy League degrees clustered together. To her right was a landscape painting that even Bob Ross would admit was a mistake. Above the Good Doctor’s head was, honest to god, a “Hang in there, baby!” poster with a cat on it.

This was the decor of the man who was all too thrilled to assure her of her good mental health.

“This is good news, Jaelyn!” Dr. Westley said, putting down the sheets of test results. “I consulted with your primary care physician and therapist, and I think we may have come to a conclusion about these Michael dreams. Would you like to hear it?”

Jaelyn nodded, genuinely curious.

He clasped his hands together on the desk. “I believe that Michael is a personification you’ve created due to your anxiety about your impending adulthood.”

Jaelyn inclined her head. “Okay?”

“It started when you were 14--the doorway between girlhood and womanhood,” He had sweat on his forehead and gesticulated wildly. “He’s someone you can talk to and explore complicated subjects with. A confidante. You told me you never dated anyone. Well, why would you? You created the literal dream guy. He’s handsome, nice, and you’ll never have to cross any sexual boundaries--the ultimate safe boyfriend. Thoughts?”

Jaelyn chewed on her lower lip. “It seems possible.”

The doctor seemed deflated at her less than enthusiastic response. “It’s a lot to digest, but I believe this may just be it. He’s not a delusion. Focus on that.”

He went on to tell her that it wasn’t necessarily her fault. She didn’t mean to create him. Michael was a product of her subconscious. It was time to start tapering him out, though, and focus on reality. The last thing he said before the appointment was over was that she should definitely go to the prom like her mother told her to.

* * *

 

Senior prom was Saturday night. Jaelyn wore a gold ball gown dress from a thrift shop that complimented her light brown skin. The dark red lipstick and clumpy lipstick her mother applied felt foreign on her face. Her thick hair was pulled into a tight French twist.

Travis White pulled in her driveway at 6:30. He wore a tux that was a little too baggy, and his shaggy hair was slicked back with gel. Jaelyn had known him marginally since kindergarten. Most of their recent interactions were in chemistry class when they did group experiments. He was funny and had a cute crooked grin. She was surprised when he asked her to prom, and originally wanted to turn him down. She’d seen _Carrie_. The weird girl getting asked to prom was never a good sign. To be honest, she just wanted to go with her friends. But her mother insisted that it would be great to go out with a real boy.

Travis stared from the opposite booth at the restaurant. Clary’s Diner wasn’t fine dining by any means, but they had a prom night special with a choice of prime rib or roasted chicken breast for only $6. But Jaelyn wanted the six-piece chicken strips with honey mustard dipping sauce.

“You sure can eat, huh?” He’d finished his rib and side of fries and was sipping his Sprite.

Jaelyn nodded. “Yep.”

After dinner, they drove 30 minutes away to the hotel. Her friend Mandy was there with one of Travis’ friends. Mandy was a sweet girl with red hair and kind eyes, and events like prom were her thing. She got Jaelyn to line-dance, slow dance, and fast dance. They were all over dance floor. It was all fun and games until during a slow dance about an hour in, Travis suggested in a husky whisper that they go to the afterparty in a room upstairs. Whether there was an actual party or not, she didn’t wanna know.  

She ran out the doors without another thought. Luckily, she saw Rachel Dawson heading to her station wagon. She could spot her white-blonde hair anywhere. They had been friends as kids but grew apart after middle school. Jaelyn asked for a ride because they still lived on the same street. The whole way home, she thought of how she wished prom would have gone.

When Jaelyn got to her trailer, she plastered on a smile before opening the door. Her mother sat at the kitchen table in her light pink bathrobe and satin bonnet. She put down her crossword puzzle, a bright smile on her face.

“How was it?”

“Great!” Jaelyn said. “But, mom, I’m really tired. Is it okay if I fill you in on everything tomorrow? I think I wanna head on to bed.”

“Sure, honey,” She stood up to hug Jaelyn and kiss her cheek. “Get some rest!”

Jaelyn showered, taking care to wash every inch of her body. She even shaved and moisturized her skin, which happened less than she would care to admit. Wiping the fog off the mirror, she smiled at her reflection.

Before she slept, she lay in bed thinking about what her psychiatrist said. It didn’t matter if he was right. Michael was good for her. He made her happy. He was something to live for. She didn’t want to get rid of him. Not now. Not ever. If she was crazy, so be it. Jaelyn closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was sitting at the same table she had been in hours before in the hotel ballroom. Now, though, it was the only table there. The cheesy light blue streamers and banner hung from the ceiling. She wore the same dress, but her curls were free, and she didn’t wear a drop of makeup.

An 80s love song boomed from the speakers as Michael entered from the blue haze of the dance floor. He wore a well-fitted suit with a gold tie. He extended his hand, and she took it. Her arms were around his neck, and his hands rested on her waist as they swayed to the beat.

When the song ended, Jaelyn broke the silence between them.

“Michael?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

She took her head from his shoulder, and Michael laughed at the glare on her face.

“I love you too,” he kissed her forehead, guiding her head to the original position. “You look so beautiful.”

“Is that why you love me?”

“Yes, I’m completely shallow.”

They laughed and continued to dance as the next song came on. As George Michael sang and a sax solo crooned, Jaelyn took a deep breath. She knew what she wanted to say, but actually putting it into words was harder than she thought.

Michael stood still and held her out at arm’s length. “What is it?”

Jaelyn repeated her deep breath, unable to look him in the eye. “Michael, do you ever think about sex?”

“Yes,” His thumbs traced circles above her hips.

“With me?”

“Of course.”

She looked up at him. The smirk that usually adorned his face wasn’t there.

“What are your thoughts about it?”

“Usually positive,” he said, a glint of mischief reappearing in his eyes. “Sometimes, pretty dirty.”

“Michael,” she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m ready to do it. Tonight. With you.”

He nodded, solemn. “Okay.”

His right hand rested on the side of her face and he pressed his lips to hers. His tongue soothed hers. When he pulled away, he nibbled her bottom lip.

Jaelyn’s eyes opened. She almost gasped at the intent look on Michael’s face has he returned his hands to her waist. He walked her backwards before her calves hit something soft.

She fell backwards, and the music and ballroom faded away. She landed on her bed, and the popcorn ceiling of her bedroom hung above her head. Michael took off his shoes and socks in about six seconds before he climbed onto the duvet and onto her.

He kissed her again, before trailing his lips down to her neck She gripped the back of his jacket. The room felt like it was spinning, and she needed something to ground herself. Jaelyn had never seen him look so serious as he did when he pulled away.

“You’re sure?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

He kissed her quick before pulling her to sit up. He shrugged his jacket off, throwing it to the floor. Jaelyn’s hands shook as she unbuttoned Michael’s white shirt. He took notice, grasping her hands when she’d finished.

“Jaelyn, if we need to stop--”

“No,” she said. “I’m just nervous.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m right here.”

He kissed both of her palms before releasing them to locate the zipper on the back of her dress. He slipped it off with her help. He kissed the top of her chest before kicking off his pants.

They paused, regarding each other in their underwear. Michael’s torso was toned, but not overly muscular. Jaelyn had worried what Michael would think of the abundant curves of her body when they weren’t covered by a baggy t-shirt. Judging by the look on his face, she’d worried in vain.

Their eyes met, and their lips crashed together. Jaelyn threw herself back on the bed, dragging Michael down by his shoulders. Her hands ran over his chest and back. She couldn’t get enough of him.

He palmed her breasts through the beige bra. She arched her back, guiding him to remove the garment. He sucked and nibbled on her breasts, and she held in a moan.

“M-Michael, can my mother hear us?”

“No,” he panted.

The noises from Jaelyn’s lips didn’t sound like her at all, and she didn’t care. She took it upon herself to hook her thumbs in his boxers, pulling them down. His size was impressive, but most of her attention was on how flushed Michael’s face became when she exposed him.

He impatiently kicked the underwear away, then made quick work of yanking off Jaelyn’s. She swore she heard the cotton of her panties rip. Seeing as she got them in a 5-pack at the supermarket a year ago, it wasn’t much of a loss.

Michael nudged her thighs apart with his knees and Jaelyn felt like her body was on fire. She was already trembling. He gave her shoulders a squeeze.

“I’ll take care of you.”

“I know.”

His eyes searched hers for any sense of hesitancy. When he found none, he kissed her mouth and guided himself deep within her.

Jaelyn’s doctor, mom, psychiatrist, or whoever could say what they wanted. It certainly felt real to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked as soon as her walls surrounded him.

She nodded. “Go slow though.”

Michael rolled his hips against hers, eventually finding a suitable rhythm. Jaelyn’s hands ran up his back and shoulders before settling in his hair. Being this close to him was something she didn't know she’d been missing.

* * *

 

They lay under the covers facing each other after they finished. Jaelyn couldn’t stop giggling while looking at Michael. His hair was completely messed up, thanks to her handiwork. His blue eyes were as bright as she’d ever seen them, and his smirk was replaced with a genuine smile.

“What’s so funny?” He asked.

“Nothing,” she reached her hand up to tousle his hair some more. “You’re just so cute.”

He held the side of her face. “How do you feel?”

“Not bad. You were pretty good.”

“Just ‘pretty good?’” He teased.

“Well, I don’t have anything to compare it to. So, you’re the best I’ve ever had. And the worst,” Her cheeks grew warm. “It felt nice though.”

He pressed his lips to hers, barely pulling away after he broke it. “You were ‘pretty good’ too.”

Jaelyn tangled her fingers in his thick blond hair and hooked her leg around Michael’s hip. The two lazily kissed one another before falling into a peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

 

Jaelyn woke the next morning feeling satisfied and only vaguely knowing why. All she knew was that she had a nice dream the night before. She ate her French toast at the small kitchen table and told her mom about prom. She was blissfully unaware of what her dream boy whispered while stroking her hair before he left. The dreams were going to end, and she’d never see the boyish face or messy curls again. The memory of him was fading, and she didn’t even know it.


	3. Oh No

_"However far away, I will always love you. However long I stay, I will always love you."_

* * *

 THREE YEARS LATER

 

“Miss Price, you’ve been pretty quiet. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share?”

 

Jaelyn looked up from her notebook doodles to see her professor peering over her rectangular-framed glasses. The 20-year-old had many thoughts, none of them pertaining to the discussion being held in her childhood literature class. Instead of notes, her papers were filled with half-assed doodles of flowers. She thought it would cheer her up, even though it never worked. Though she listened and paid attention in her college courses, part of her was somewhere else.

 

There used to be a boy she would see in her dreams, but she couldn’t remember him anymore. Her physical and mental health professionals said they were proud of her for making so much progress. The treatments had worked, so she should have been happy. But the truth was that Jaelyn had never been more miserable.

 

It wasn’t just the loss of the boy, though that was enough reason to feel morose. Since the dreams stopped, she felt a constant sense of foreboding. No medication or treatment could get rid of it. She tried in vain using lucid dreaming to get the boy back, thinking that he could make the feeling go away. But she couldn’t get him to come back, no matter how hard she tried.

 

Jaelyn still experienced a regular gamut of emotions. When she got into college on an academic scholarship, she jumped around excitedly with her mom in their kitchen. Nerves plagued her when she first walked into her dorm to meet her roommate, Chelsea. When her mean chemistry professor, Dr. Glazer, gave her a C on the midterm, she felt white-hot rage. But underneath it all was the gnawing feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

 

The other students and Dr. Greene stared at Jaelyn, waiting her to reply.

 

“Uh, I’m not really sure.” Jaelyn said. “Sorry, what was the question?”

 

The professor sighed, shaking her head of dull brown hair.  “Nevermind. Stephen, you had your hand up?”

 

While the jock rattled off some nonsense theory about _Where the Wild Things Are_ being a metaphor for the seven deadly sins, everyone’s phones blared an alert tone. The students took their phones out, despite Dr. Greene’s protests.

 

Tears pricked the back of Jaelyn’s eyes and her stomach dropped when she read the message. Missiles were incoming to the nearby city, and it wasn’t a drill.

 

A recording of the dean’s scratchy voice came over the intercom, announcing they were in lockdown. Some girl immediately burst into tears. A goth kid in the back rolled his eyes, saying it was all bullshit. Jaelyn knew he was wrong, as much as she wanted to believe him.

 

“Okay, everybody, just calm down!” Screeched Doctor Greene. “Maybe we can file down to the basement to try and avoid the blast.”

 

The students loudly protested. Some ran out the door, going god knows where. Jaelyn knew there was no point and remained in her seat amid the chaos. With shaking hands, she called her mother.

 

“Baby,” Her mother answered without a greeting. “I love you more than anything. I wish we could be together now.”

 

The classroom became blurry through Jaelyn’s tears. “Mom, this is the bad thing that was gonna happen. I feel like it’s my fault. I could have warned people.”

 

“Oh, baby, no,” her mom said. “It’s in god’s will.”

 

Jaelyn found this strange. Her mother was not a religious woman. Catastrophes made people act odd sometimes, so she didn’t put much stock in it.

 

“Mom, I love you.”

 

“Jaelyn, before this happens, there is something you need to know. When I was-”

 

A man and woman in black suits burst into the classroom before Jaelyn heard what her mother said.

 

“Excuse me?” Dr. Greene said. “You can’t just come in here. The campus is on lockdown.”

 

“Where is Jaelyn Price?” the woman said, disregarding the professor.

 

The remaining students turned in Jaelyn’s direction, a mixture of emotions on their faces. She tried to look as small as humanly possible, but to no avail.

 

The man walked towards her. “You need to come with us.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“You’ve been selected by the Cooperative,” the woman said. She took Jaelyn’s phone and tossed it aside.

 

“Hey!” Jaelyn said. “What the fuck is going on? What’s the Cooperative?”

 

“We have no time for this,” The man grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet. “We’ve been given explicit instructions to take you to a location where you’ll be safe.”

 

Jaelyn tried to wring her arm away from the man’s grip. “No, please, I-”

 

“Arguing isn’t an option,” the woman said before exiting.

 

The man followed, dragging Jaelyn with him. She cried and yelled that she loved her mom, praying she was still on the phone

* * *

 

Jaelyn absentmindedly scratched the tops of her hands. She’d been shoved into the back of a van and buckled in. The man in the suit was driving offroad. Every now and then, he and the woman would speak in hushed tones about god knows what.

 

“You’re lucky, Miss Price,” the woman said during a conversational lull. “Most of the others had to pay their way to safety.”

 

“Well, what makes me so special? Why do I get to be safe?”

 

“Classified.”

 

“So, does my mother get rescued too?”

 

“No,” the man said. “Take heart: the blast will more than likely kill her instantly.”

 

Jaelyn refused to talk after that.

* * *

She’d been put a holding cell while to wait for the bombs to go off and for everything to die down. It felt like prison or a cage. There was enough room to walk around, but it was just an abundance of metal, concrete, and darkness. Time ceased to exist underground. Periodically, someone brought water and crackers. Mostly, she tried to sleep to make time pass by faster.

 

One day while she slept, she was shoved roughly until she woke up. Jaelyn looked up and saw the outline of the woman in the suit from before.

 

“Get up. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

 

Almost two full days of driving, in fact. They left at midnight and mostly Jaelyn slept. Every time she woke, they were still driving.

 

“Isn’t there a closer Outpost to go to? I thought there were multiple around the world.” She asked after waking up for the fifth time.

 

“We were given instructions to take you to a particular Outpost,” the man said.

 

“But why?”

 

“Classified.”

 

Sometime during the day, they parked the van. Jaelyn was forced into a protective suit and walked to her destination. Silent tears streamed down her face when she saw the state of the world. The only thing the suits told her on the drive was that it had been two weeks since the bombs. And now, everything was grey and broken. It was worse than carnage. It was...nothing.

 

She was led underground by people in head-to-toe black suits and decontaminated multiple times to insure that no radiation got into the outpost.

 

Then they shoved her through stone walls where she came face to face with a strange woman. Everything about the woman was dark except her skin. A smirk came to her lips when she laid eyes on Jaelyn.

 

“My name Wilhelmina Venable. Welcome to Outpost Three.”

 

“Thanks,” Jaelyn mumbled.

 

“Odd,” the older woman said. “The other occupants came in pairs, at least. Looks like you’re all alone.”

 

Jaelyn narrowed her eyes. Something told her that she was going to be at odds with this woman.

 

Ms. Venable gave her a tour of the Outpost. If Jaelyn had been quizzed on it 30 seconds later, she couldn’t get a single answer right. Everything was a blur. It was too much at once after being so solitary for two weeks.

 

Jaelyn really didn’t understand how she got to be a “purple.” Purples were elite, and she and her mother never had much money. Apparently, there were others who were purples due to something in their DNA, but no one told her exactly how she ended up there. She also didn’t like the fact that the “greys” seemed to be slaves for the others, but decided not to verbalize it.

 

She was happy to take a shower, but not as happy to put on the silk dress or meet the other occupants. Cocktails were in the music room at 6:30. Jaelyn didn’t want to go, but it was mandatory.

 

She swished up to the music room, nervous as all get out. There were many others there when she arrived, and she wished she could run back to her suite. But dinner was after cocktails, and Jaelyn was hungry. Plus, who knew what kind of punishment she would receive for disobeying the rules.

 

“Jesus,” a shrill blonde woman said. “How many more people are coming?”

 

“Don’t mind her. It’s nice to see a fresh face,” said a woman who Jaelyn was familiar with.

 

“Dinah Stevens?” She asked.

 

The woman smiled, taking one of Jaelyn’s hands with both of hers. “Yes.”

 

“M-my mom used to watch you all the time,”Jaelyn gently took her hand back. “She said it was always good to see a black woman on TV.”

 

“Well, bless her heart.”

 

The night didn’t go as badly for Jaelyn as it could have. There was a radiation spike, but she wasn’t the source. Stu and Mr. Gallant were taken away. Only Gallant came back.  As scary as it was, Jaelyn knew that if she stuck to herself and was on her best behavior, being in the Outpost wouldn’t be so bad. And the company wouldn’t be bad either.

* * *

 

18 MONTHS LATER 

 

Over a year later, Jaelyn felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. She didn’t know how it was possible. Outpost 3 was full of such odd people, but she still didn’t belong. And that bad feeling from before still hadn’t gone away. The fucking apocalypse happened, and apparently something bad was still coming, according to the pit in Jaelyn’s stomach. At first tried to attribute it to her hunger, but deep down she knew that wasn’t the cause.

 

She was already weary of the soup they’d been given earlier that day, seeing as the last time they were given anything in a hot bowl, it was Stu’s remains. But that day, it contained live snakes. There was also a visitor at the outpost, and they were huddled in the meeting room to see what he had to say. The room was warm because of the fireplace, but Jaelyn shivered.

 

“Everything alright, darling?” Dinah Stevens asked. Jaelyn had gravitated towards her since they met during her first night at Outpost 3. Dinah reminded her of her mother.

 

Jaelyn tried to smile. “Yeah, it’s just been kind of a weird day, I guess.”

 

Dinah squeezed her shoulder. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”

 

Dinah always said weird things like that, that only kind of made sense. Jaelyn learned that smiling and nodding was the best way to reply.

 

Suddenly, she heard rhythmic, purposeful footsteps. A sharp chill sliced down her spine. Everyone turned to see who entered the room, but Jaelyn dug her fingers into the couch and stared at Ms. Venable in front of the fireplace. When the stranger took Venable’s place, Jaelyn couldn’t ignore him anymore.

 

He was a tall man with long golden hair. She was quite a few feet away, but still could see his piercing blue eyes. His fashion was Dracula-like, and he held an aura of importance.

 

“My name is Langdon,” he said, “And I represent the Cooperative.”

 

Suddenly, the bad feeling Jaelyn had had for nearly half a decade dissipated. There was no room for relief as it was quickly replaced with a sickness unlike she had felt before in her life. She held her stomach, trying to pay attention to what the strange man said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was pretty Michael-lite, but I promise he will show up more in chapters from here on out.


	4. Surprise

_"In the shape of things to come, too much poison come undone. ‘Cause there’s nothing else to do. Every me and every you.”_

* * *

 

Jaelyn didn’t know who the fuck Langdon was, but she wished he would just go back to where he came from.

 

If what he said at the group meeting was true, being interviewed by him was her only chance of survival. But the interviews weren’t mandatory, and she was tempted not to go to hers at all.

 

Being in the same building as the man made her physically nauseated. How bad would it get if she was sitting a foot away from him? Even the other occupants had noticed how he affected her. Coco, for example, had a theory as to what Jaelyn was feeling.

 

“Ooh, quiet girl has a crush! He is a fucking meal, isn’t he?” She squealed one night during cocktails. Langdon had walked Emily to the music room after her interview and promptly left. Jaelyn had to try as hard as she could not to double over.

 

“Uh, I wouldn’t exactly call it a crush,” Jaelyn mumbled, sipping her mineral water.

 

“No shame in your game, girl!” Gallant said putting his arm around her shoulders. “But, between you and me, I don’t think you’re his type.”

 

After dinner, Jaelyn changed in her private suite. In the end, Dinah who convinced her to go to the interview. She said that Jaelyn’s destiny was turning in the wind or something.

 

It was hard to find something that wasn’t layers upon layers of fabric. By some miracle, there was a simple cotton purple dress at the bottom of her armoire. She looked in the mirror and gathered her curls in a low French braid. Sweat prickled the nape of her neck.

 

Jaelyn wasn’t sure she’d survive the interview. She imagined she’d walk through the door and implode. The thought that Langdon had given her radiation poisoning crossed her mind a few times. Then again, no one in the outpost had gotten sick like her. Plus, Ms. Mead would have put a bullet in his head if there was any risk of contamination.

 

As she finished her hair, someone knocked on the door.

 

She smoothed down her dress and turned from the mirror. “Yes?”

 

Mallory opened the door. “Jaelyn? Langdon’s ready for you.”

 

“Oh, okay,” Jaelyn gulped. “Um, Mallory...Will you walk me there?

 

Mallory offered her arm and a reassuring smile. “Of course.”

 

The two walked in silence. Jaelyn didn’t usually spend a lot of time talking to Mallory. She only knew her name because of Coco.  The whole class system of greys and purples was bullshit. It reminded Jaelyn of slavery. But any rebelling against the system would have been shut down by Venable.

 

Walking with Mallory was a comfort to Jaelyn, but she didn’t know why. The fevered chill still plagued her, but she felt more of a peace of mind. Just being near her seemed to be an antidote.

 

They stopped in front of the door. Mallory turned to Jaelyn, patting her on the back.

 

“You’ll be fine. Good luck.” With a curtsy, she was gone.

 

Jaelyn felt even sicker than she had before. She wanted to turn on her heel and run back to her room. But instead, she found herself rapping on the door with a shaky hand.

 

“Come in!” he practically sang out.

 

She took a deep breath and slid open the door. The room was large with candles in every corner. The fireplace roared in the background. Langdon stood in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes shone as he looked at her. He wore a black ensemble, and it made him look even taller than he was.

 

Something changed. Jaelyn was as close as she’d ever been to him. The tenseness in her shoulders melted away. Her trembling stopped, and any sign of sickness vanished. She had never felt so calm, so at ease in her life. She felt like she glided in the room to him. The top of her head came just above his shoulders, she noted.

 

He turned and gesturing to his desk. “Have a seat.”

 

On the desk was a steaming mug of tea and a cookie on a saucer. She sat down, eyes unable to leave the food before her. She’d had nothing but cubes for over a year.

 

“They’re for you,” He answered her silent question as he sat behind the desk.

 

Perhaps too eagerly, she broke the piece of shortbread in half and began to eat it. She chased it down with a sip of the strong Earl Grey.

 

Langdon’s face was neutral while he stared at her. Something was behind his eyes that she couldn’t decipher.

 

“This is good,” she said. “Where’d it come from?”

 

The smirk he gave caused a familiar pang in her chest. “Classified.”

 

The sanctuary, probably. Why they would need a supply of tea and cookies was beyond her. As Langdon continued to stare at her, she remembered a plot point from a short story by Roald Dahl she’d read in middle school.

 

“Uh, hey,” she put down the mug, scooting it away by an inch. “This isn’t poisoned, is it?”

 

Langdon laughed from deep within his chest. “Now, why would I want to poison you?”

 

Jaelyn smiled. Nerves crawled up her spine, but it wasn’t the sickness. This was different. “One less person to worry about choosing to go to the sanctuary, I guess.”

 

He stiffened, suddenly all business. “Even if that were true, you wouldn’t be my first choice. In fact, what if I told you that you’re the only person I plan to take with me?”

 

She nearly choked on her tea and her eyes widened. Then she remembered what this whole thing was: an interview. It was only a hypothetical.

 

“Well,” She tried to match is straight posture. “I’d find that hard to believe.”

 

He tilted his head. “Why?”

 

“There’s a lot of people here. If you were only gonna pick one person, why me?” She shrugged.

 

“Do you think the others are worthier than you?”

 

“Uh, no. I guess we’re all kind of equal. It’s just that they’re all kind of more interesting than me. More agreeable.”

 

“Oh, but Jaelyn,” He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward. “I find you fascinating. The other occupants do, too.”

 

He pushed himself up and walked to her side of the desk.

 

“Wait,” she said, “Did the others talk about me in their interviews?”

 

“Yes,” He perched on the front of the desk. His leg was mere inches from her hand. “What do you think about that?”

 

“But why would they talk about me?” She shook her head. “What did they say?”

 

He chuckled. “I can’t share the contents of my other interviews. Suffice it to say, you’ve become something of a mystery to them.”

 

He drummed his fingers on the desk next to hers. She regretted looking down at his rings because the drumming stopped, and his hand took hold of hers. He felt so warm as he drew her hand closer to his face to inspect it.

 

He held it, running his fingertips over the small scars and fresh scratches.

 

“How did this happen?” Langdon asked, his eyes still on her hand.

 

Jaelyn tried to pull it away, but he kept a firm hold on her wrist. He looked at her, eyebrows raised.

 

“It’s just kind of a compulsion,” she said. “I scratch my hands sometimes. I usually don’t even realize I’m doing it.”

 

He gave her hand a pitying glance before releasing his grasp.

 

“So,” he said, reaching for a file on his desk, “Anxiety is something you’ve dealt with your entire life.”

 

“Yes.” She pressed her fingers into the top of the desk to avoid scratching.

 

“Were you seeing anybody about it?”

 

“Yes. A therapist and psychiatrist.”

 

Langdon put the file down, looking into her eyes.

 

“Jaelyn,” he said. “Tell me about the dreams.”

 

Her stomach lurched. Just when she thought the interview was going halfway decent. “That’s in my file?”

 

He smiled, grazing the top of her hand with an index finger. “Only the most important things are.”

 

“It’s kind of stupid.” She addressed her hands. It surprised her that he didn’t force her to look into his eyes. Everyone else did. “I dreamed about this boy for years. I used to have his face and everything about him memorized. Now, I don’t even remember his name. I just know that in my dreams with him, I felt safe.”

 

“Didn’t you feel safe when you were awake?”

 

“No, I felt crazy,” she said. “Mom made me get treated the second I told her. I didn’t think it would work, but I guess it did. Soon after treatment began, he was gone.”

 

When Jaelyn looked up, she was surprised to see how serious Langdon looked.

 

“Did the dreams affect your personal life? Did you have trouble dating at all?”

 

“Uh, I didn’t date much, if that’s what you’re asking. Even after the dreams stopped. I didn’t have any interest in other guys.”

 

Langdon stood, and Jaelyn thought for a second that he was going to end the interview. She felt a mixture of relief and dread when he returned to his seat behind the desk.

 

“How did your mother feel about this?”

 

A sharp jag of grief hit her stomach. She tried not to think of her mother. When she was alone in the holding cell, she cried almost every day thinking about her. She had to face death alone. Plus, she constantly wondered what her mother was trying to tell her before the people from the Cooperative took her away.

 

Jaelyn swore Langdon frowned as if he could hear her thoughts, but then she realized she hadn’t answered his question.

 

“She was pretty concerned,” Jaelyn said. “She tried to pawn me off on boys all the time. I think she thought if she got me a real boyfriend, the dream boy would disappear.”

 

“Do you miss your mother, Jaelyn?”

 

“Yes,” she said. “She wasn’t perfect, but she was my mom. I loved her.”

 

“What about your father?”

 

“Oh, I never actually knew him,” She raised her eyes to his at last, “He left before I was born. Mom didn’t like to talk about him, so eventually I stopped asking.”

 

There was a smile on Langdon’s face that hid a secret. She didn’t know what to make of it.

 

“Jaelyn,” he stood, heading to the doors. “You’re free to go!”

 

She got up, feeling torn between staying and going. The conflict within her was confusing and intense. She decided to hurry to the door. Before she could leave, his large hand wrapped around her wrist.

 

“Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything,” he said. His face was inches from hers. The intensity in his eyes told her he meant it. And the way his tongue ran over his full bottom lip...Well, she probably misread that

 

“Thanks, Mr. Langdon,” She said. He let her go, and she left before any more confusing thoughts could plague her.

* * *

 

The other occupants were relieved to know she made it through the interview. They asked a multitude of questions, and she tried her best to answer them. After dinner, she felt exhausted, so she headed straight to bed. She didn’t have dreams much anymore, but this night was different.

 

It was in flashes. Langdon’s hands on her face, kissing her so hard that her lips became swollen and tender. Him on top of her, long hair brushing against her breasts with every thrust. Her nails scraping down the skin of his back. His teeth clamping onto her collarbone. The two of them climaxing together, saying one another’s names.

 

But “Langdon” wasn’t the name she said.

 

She sat straight up in her bed, cold sweat drenching her body. God knew what time it was. After lights out, all occupants were to stay in their own rooms. But she found herself walking into the hallway, fear of being punished the last thing on her mind.

 

Her breaths were ragged as she stood outside his door. She raised her fist to knock, but the door swung open by itself. There he stood in front of his bed, eyes soft as he gazed at her.

 

Jaelyn stepped through the doorway, hugging her arms to her chest.

 

“Michael?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for your response on the story so far! I really do appreciate every comment and kudos! Be sure to tune in next Wednesday for the next chapter!


	5. Reunion

_“Juliet says, ‘Hey, it’s Romeo. You nearly gave me a heart attack.’ He’s underneath the window, she’s singing ‘Hey, la, my boyfriend’s back. You shouldn’t come around here, sneaking up on people like that. Anyway, what you gonna do about it?’”_

* * *

Michael was part of Jaelyn’s life for three years. How did she forget him? Everything came flooding back to her after the intense dream. His hair was longer, and his face was slimmer. But those icy eyes were the same. There was no doubt it was him.

Candles still lit his room. He hadn’t changed into any sort of bedclothes. He was waiting for her.

He smiled, like he hadn’t a care in the world. “Yes.”

“But...What the fuck is going on?” She asked.

He stepped towards her, and she stepped back.

“Jaelyn,” he said, far too calm for her liking. “You deserve an explanation.”

She started to step backwards again but then heard the door close behind her. Eyes wide, she glanced back.

“Did you do that?”

He nodded, soft smile remaining on his face. He offered a hand. “Come sit.”

She ignored his outstretched hand and sat in a chair across from his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, posture still impeccable.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“‘Go ahead’ what?”

“You must have questions. Ask them.”

Jaelyn did have questions. A lot of them. They all fought to be asked in her head, each more loudly than the last. She opened her mouth, and one managed to tumble out before the others could.

“Why’d you come into my dreams?” Her face grew warm, thinking of the dream she just woke from. “I mean...Before tonight.”

“It was easier to connect with your subconscious while you slept,” he said as if they were discussing weather. “If I talked to you while you were awake, people would have thought you were insane.”

“They already thought I was insane,” she crossed her arms. “And what the hell are you talking about? Why did you mess with me? Who even are you? Are you a wizard or something?”

He smirked. “No. Jaelyn, there are things you need to know about me. And about you.”

She stared at him. The beautiful dream boy had become a beautiful real man. She should be happy. Maybe a small part of her was. But it was all drowned out by the confusion and anger.

Jaelyn shook her head and stood up. “I can’t deal with this right now. It’s too much. I need to get out of here.”

She thought he’d make her stay by force or manipulation. But his door swung back open.

“I understand. It’s a lot to digest at once,” He said, face remaining unchanged.

Jaelyn started to leave, feeling more confused than ever.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called after her.

_Fat chance_ , she thought as she headed for a sleepless night in her bed.

* * *

It wasn’t hard to avoid Langdon the next day. He wasn’t known for being very social in the outpost, but he’d usually at least make appearances during mealtime. But he was nowhere to be found. He was holed up in his room, doing god knows what. Maybe he was making selections for the sanctuary. Or maybe making an excuse for the shit he’d put her through for the past decade. Something like that.

Jaelyn tried to tell herself she didn’t care, but she couldn’t believe her own lie. It was impossible to be apathetic about this. About him.

Midday came, and Jaelyn sat alone in the library. She tried to focus on some random leather-bound book she grabbed off a shelf, but she just kept re-reading the same lines of a poem:

_“A replica of earth_

_Except love was here._

_Doesn’t everyone want love?”_

She shut the book and sighed. The Halloween party was in a few hours, and she needed to conserve her energy. She wanted to sit it out, but like every other event in the outpost, it was mandatory.

Jaelyn had always liked Halloween. Her favorite part was handing out candy to adorable trick-or-treaters in her neighborhood. But thinking about how those kids had been blown to bits when the bombs dropped dampened her holiday spirit.

Still, the party would be a distraction. Living in her mind for 22 years, Jaelyn appreciated how comforting distractions could be. After the party, she’d go to Langdon’s room. Hopefully, she’d find out what she wanted to say by then. Besides, he owed her an explanation.

* * *

 The party turned out to be just what Jaelyn needed. Everyone wore masquerade costumes and the Halloween cheer was in the air. She danced and laughed with almost everyone in attendance. Even Coco. The highlight was bobbing for apples. Jaelyn hadn’t done it since elementary school, but she pulled her apple from the water in about 15 seconds.

The time had come for the occupants to eat their prizes. Ms. Venable began to make a speech, but Jaelyn couldn’t hear a word she said. Every sound in the room became muffled, as if she were deep underwater. Her head pounded, and only one clear word came through. It was Langdon’s voice, and it said _“Don’t.”_

She knew what he meant. She also knew with every molecule of her being that she should listen to him. But then Venable raised her apple, bidding everyone to take a bite.

Sweat trickled down Jaelyn’s back. The crunches surrounded her as everyone sunk their teeth into the fresh fruit. She noticed Ms. Venable and Ms. Mead still held their apples, not taking a single bite. And they noticed her too.

She looked at the shiny red fruit in her hand. It looked perfect, spotless. She brought it to her lips, and his voice was in her head again.

_“Jaelyn,”_ he warned.

_No_ , she thought as loudly as she could, somehow knowing he could hear. Her teeth sank into the apple, into the crisp skin and flesh. She swallowed, savoring the taste. It was fucking delicious.

Until it wasn’t. The sickness she felt when Michael came to the outpost was nothing compared to this. Her stomach gurgled. Her head pounded. The room spun. The other party goers clutched their stomachs. Then mayhem broke out.

Jaelyn sank to her knees and put her hands on the floor. She threw up the chewed bit of apple. Then the cookie from her interview. Remnants of meal cubes.

Tears streamed from her burning eyes and blood spewed out of her throat. Her stomach finally emptied, and her head thudded to the floor. She had time to think about seeing her mother again before everything faded to black.

* * *

Before the darkness could completely consume her, Jaelyn was drawn to the light again. Her throat was raw, and her eyes and cheeks were puffy and swollen. Something cold and damp periodically swept across her burning forehead. She pried open her aching eyes.

Michael looked down at her. He sat in an armchair next to his bed. He withdrew the wet rag from her face when he noticed she was awake. Jaelyn rolled onto her side to face him. She felt the urge to hold him and be held by him, and to feel his warmth against her. It was probably just delirium.

“I thought I was gonna die,” she mumbled.

Michael set the rag aside and crossed his arms. “You did.”

She should have been more surprised, but she wasn’t.  “You brought me back.”

“If you would have listened to me,” he said with an edge to his voice, “It wouldn’t have been necessary.”

It hurt to roll her eyes, but Jaelyn felt like it was worth it. “No, you don’t get to be mad at me. So, what? You brought me back from the dead. You’re like a warlock or something. Thanks, I guess. But I’m still pissed.”

A wry smile came to his face. “Not a warlock. Jaelyn...You need to learn to trust me.”

“Why should I? And what the fuck is going on?”

He shook his head. “I just brought you back from death. I will tell you everything, in time. But now you need rest.”

“Being dead is about as restful as I can get,” She struggled, but managed to sit up and lean against the headboard. “You said last night you’d answer my questions. Well, I’ve asked my question. Now answer it, Michael.”

Jaelyn mirrored his crossed arms, feeling a bit like a petulant toddler. Michael uncrossed his arms and grasped her left hand.

“Very well.” He turned her hand palm upward and traced her fingers with his fingertip.

“What are you doing?”

“Showing you will be easier than telling.”

With a few words in Latin and some odd hand stroking, Michael transported Jaelyn somewhere else entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and your feedback on the story! I"m so glad people enjoy it!


	6. Look Back

_“I remember you said, ‘Don’t leave me here alone.’_

_But all that’s dead and gone and past tonight.”_

* * *

 

As if she were watching a movie, Jaelyn saw a vision of her mother. Sandra Price sat at her small kitchen table, mascara running down her face. Her burgundy lipstick complimented her dark skin. It was odd seeing her so young...so sad. She was beautiful though, even as she fell apart.

 

A man walked into the room, duffel bag in tow. He regarded Sandra for a moment, though it seemed like he didn’t want to.

 

“Paul, please don’t go,” Sandra said in a small voice.

 

Paul shook his head. “Look, baby, sorry you can’t have kids.  But I never really wanted them anyway. Knowing you, you’ll figure something out.”

 

She continued to sob and beg Paul to stay as he went into the rainy afternoon.

 

Before Jaelyn could react, the vision changed.

 

It was a psychiatrist’s office, not unlike the one Jaelyn used to go to. The office was more normal than Dr. Westley’s. In fact, it was a bit boring. The walls were grey, blank. The couch was black leather, and the carpet was the same color as the walls. It looked...unfinished.

 

Her mother sat on the couch, nursing a box of tissues. In front of her was a red-haired, bearded man. He wore oval glasses a dark green suit. His legs were crossed, and his fist was placed under his chin.

 

“I don’t know what else to do,” Sandra sobbed.  “Maybe something in the universe is trying to tell me something. I can’t afford IFV. I can barely afford adoption, and even then, the agency denied me because I’m single. No man wants to be with me. Maybe I shouldn’t have a baby.”

 

The doctor scratched his scruffy chin, head tilted. “But, Sandra. The question is, do you _want_ to have a baby?”

 

Sandra sighed. “More than anything. I don’t even know why. It’s just this urge I’ve had, like I was born to be a mother.”

 

A smile came to the doctor’s face that made Jaelyn feel uneasy. He leaned forward, putting his hands on his knees. “Sandra, would you be willing to do something a bit unorthodox if it meant you were guaranteed to conceive a baby?”

 

Sandra blinked, looking a bit taken aback. “What do you have in mind, Dr. Sheldon?”

 

He reached his hand into his jacket and pulled out a small card. Sandra took it, furrowing her brows as she read it.

 

“This is just a phone number.”

 

Dr. Sheldon leaned back in his armchair and raised his brows. “Yes. And trust me, if you want a baby...Really want a baby...You will call it.”

 

Sandra shrugged and pocketed the card. “Sure. I mean, hell...What have I got to lose?”

 

The scene faded, changing to something else.

 

It looked like a dark, abandoned warehouse. People in dark hoods stood in around in a circle. The surrounded a bloody pentagram. The source of the blood was the arms of an olive-skinned man with thick dark hair and Jaelyn’s mother. They stood, clothed only in robes. After staring hard at one another, they dropped their clothes, embraced, and fell into the pentagram.

 

Thankfully for Jaelyn, the scene shifted again.

 

It was a white room that overlooked the city via a large window. Sandra lay in a hospital bed, holding a pink bundle. It was weird for Jaelyn to see herself as a baby. She’d seen the tons of pictures her mother took throughout the years. But to see herself as an actual living baby with a thick head of hair and huge dark eyes was very strange.

 

A mousy nurse popped her head in the door, a smile on her face. “Sandra, you have a visitor. Is it alright if I let him in?”

 

“Sure,” she said, not taking her eyes off of the baby. She seemed to be on cloud nine as she smiled.

 

“Hello, Sandra.”

 

She froze, eyes widening. The olive- skinned man from before sauntered into the room. He wore a black button-up and grey slacks. He was handsome and oozed charisma as soon as he entered the room, but Sandra didn’t look impressed.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

He reached out from behind his back, showing a bouquet of a dozen burgundy roses. “I brought these for you.”

 

Sandra stared at the roses, and then back up at him. “Thanks. Put them on the table and get out.”

 

“Aw, come on, Sandy, don’t be like that.” He put them by the windowsill and then came to the foot of her bed. “You and I had a pretty good time a little over nine months ago, didn’t we?”

 

Sandra rolled her eyes. “You said after it happened that you would disappear.”

 

“And I'm going to keep that promise,” he said, walking closer to her. “But I need to give you some information first.”

 

“What information?”

 

“Well, it has to do with how this beautiful baby was conceived,” he looked down at the baby, a grin on his face. “Now, you’re a smart woman. You must know that making a deal with the devil comes with a price.”

 

She clutched the baby to her chest with one hand and began to fumble for her call button with the other. “You can’t have my baby. No one can. This whole thing is bullshit. It’s just some fluke, a miracle that you got me pregnant. There’s no way the devil had anything to do with it. Now, leave.”

 

“Woah, woah,” the man said, holding his hands up in surrender. “Slow down, Sandy. Look, I didn’t have to come down here. But I thought you deserved to know. You can think this whole thing is bullshit, but just let me tell it. If you hear me out, I’ll leave and be out of your life forever.”

 

Sandra sighed, and put down the call button. “Okay. But make it quick.”

 

“Thank you. I know you have concerns, but they aren’t necessary,” he said. “You don’t have to sacrifice your baby. In fact, it’s important that you watch over her and keep her safe.”

“You want me to watch after my child and keep her safe? That’s your big revelation?”

 

“Please, let me finish,” he said. “Now, I’m sure you think your daughter is destined for great things. Well, the difference between you and other new mothers is that you are actually right. The dark lord has chosen Jaelyn for a specific purpose. She’s going to join leagues with his son to bring about changes in the new world after he’s destroyed the old one. She and Michael are going to make us all so proud.”

 

A silence took over the room.

 

“Are you done?” Sandra asked.

 

“Have you listened to a word I’ve been said?”

 

“Yes. You said after you went on your little spiel, you’d go away.”

 

“Sandra, I don't think you’ve-”

 

“I heard you,” she said. She looked down at the baby smiling in her arms. “There’s no way my baby is destined to do anything evil. Or be with anything evil. Thanks for helping me make her, but please get out.”

 

She looked up, but the man had vanished.

 

The scene changed again.

 

It was a large house Jaelyn had never seen before. People wore black cloaks, but they were different. There was an air of darkness within them. They stared in awe at a slender figure in a black cape. It was a figure Jaelyn knew all too well.

 

Michael looked like he did when they first met. He was youthful, but with wisdom behind his eyes. In his hand was a bloody, pulsing heart. It must have belonged to the dead blonde woman on the table.  He took a bite. He had a look of peace and belonging on his face, along with blood.

 

The shadow of a large winged beast came upon the wall behind him.

 

“Father,” he said. “I’m with you now.”

Jaelyn’s chest burned with every ragged breath she took. Her sweaty body trembled. Michael’s room slowly came into view. She focused on her hand, which held onto Michael’s so tight that her knuckles were white.

 

“Holy shit,” she whispered.

 

“I did try to warn you,” he said. His thumb smoothed the scarred top of her hand.

 

“So...you...the devil...is your father.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And that...makes you the antichrist.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But then...What does that make me?”

 

“Mine,” he growled.

 

Jaelyn looked up. Possession glowed in Michael’s eyes.

 

“But...So my mom knew about you,” she sputtered. “The whole time. She even knew your name. Why did she make me think I was crazy?”

 

“Don’t be angry with her,” he said. “Denial is a strong emotion. She thought she was protecting you. But you were destined to be mine. You and I will make the world a better place than it’s ever been before.”

 

Jaelyn stiffened. “That’s impossible though. I’m not sure what the Antichrist needs in a partner, but it can’t be me. You need someone incredible and strong. That’s not me.”

 

“Don’t say that,” he grasped her hands. “You are extraordinary. This is what you were born to do.”

 

She took her hands back and clasped them in her lap. “No, I was born because my mom wanted a baby. Apparently very badly. And she worked a ton of jobs to keep food on the table. It was just the two of us. You and your dad have all these powers, right? Well why the fuck didn't you help us? If I was made for you, why didn’t you take better care of me?”

 

Michael stood and paced around the room. Jaelyn knew she should be scared. He was probably the most powerful man in the world. But she instinctively knew he would never hurt her.

He came to stillness at the foot of the bed. “The second my father told me about you, I wanted to see you right away. I wanted to start our life together. To stay by your side and protect you from any harm.”

 

Jaelyn nodded. “I mean, thanks, but-”

 

“But it wasn’t time. I still needed to grow up. So did you. But I still wanted to see you. So, I visited you while you slept. That way, we wouldn’t be complete strangers when we finally came together.”

 

He came to the side of the bed again, opting to kneel on the floor rather than sit on the chair.

 

“You had hardships, but I was right there to comfort you throughout all of them. But the adversities, Jaelyn...they made you so strong,” his hand trailed up and down her arm. “What would you have become if you had everything you ever wanted? I could never have a spoiled princess by my side. I needed someone who knows how fucking hard it can be to stay alive. I needed you.”

 

His eyes shone, and Jaelyn was surprised how her anger and worry dissipated so quickly. She didn’t object when he took her hands in his.

 

“Why did you leave me?” Her voice sounded pitiful and juvenile, but she didn’t care. The restored memories freshened the pain from the last 5 years.

 

“It takes a lot of work to bring about the apocalypse. You were a distraction,” he smirked. “The best kind of distraction. But I was lost. I needed to find myself so I could start our future. And our night time visits were causing you trouble. It was easier for you to forget me.”

 

“But I missed you,” she said in the same small way. “I didn’t know who I was missing, but it still hurt. I felt like part of me was gone.”

 

He smiled sadly before looking down at her hands. He pressed soft kisses to her scratches, leaving healed scars in his wake.

 

“I missed you too,” he murmured. “Jaelyn, can you ever forgive me?”

 

Her heartbeat sped up. The feelings she had were complicated, to say the least. But amongst them all, one emotion prevailed.

 

“Michael,” she whispered.

His eyes flashed to hers. She reclaimed her hands to grab his face and pulled him for a kiss. It was warm and wet. His lips were as soft as she remembered. Before she could deepen it, Michael pulled away.

 

“Jaelyn, I’ve thought of a way to apologize to you that I think you’ll enjoy.” His hand slipped onto her thigh. “Would you be interested?

 

She felt a twinge between her hips and her body felt like lava.

 

“Yes,” she said.

 

“Good,” he said, taking a firm hold of her hips. “Lay down.”

 

She obeyed, and he pulled her legs to hang off the bed. He knelt between them and shoved the skirt of her gown up and out of his way. He grabbed hold of her underwear and tugged them off. His hands came to her shaky knees.

 

“Nervous?” He peeked up at her.

 

She nodded, unable to speak. Her face burned.

 

“It’s alright. It’s just us.” He rubbed her thigh with his thumb. “If you want to stop, tell me. Alright?”

 

“Okay,” she breathed.

 

He kissed both of her inner thighs. His breath was hot on her opening before he began to absolutely devour her.  His tongue swiped a line up and down her slit before dipping into her folds. He groaned in appreciation, and the resulting vibration nearly made Jaelyn fall apart.

 

Her hands went to his hair. It felt like the finest silk. She was afraid she’d rip it out by the roots with the way he was working her.

 

His fingers slowly entered her core while drew circles around her clit with his tongue. It didn’t take long for Jaelyn to feel the tightness in her lower stomach. Michael curled his fingers inside her and sucked her clit, and she was done for.

 

She cried out, legs shaking despite Michael’s hold on them. He continued gently licking until she grew so sensitive that she pulled him up by his hair.

 

His lips crashed against hers. She could taste herself on his tongue. His clothed hardness brushed against her bare sensitive center.

 

“Michael,” she gasped, pulling away, “Take off your fucking clothes.”

 

He stood up, and Jaelyn whined at the loss of contact. He shrugged his jacket off and pulled off his shirt. She sat up to help him remove his pants. His large erection sprung out as she pulled down his briefs. He came onto the bed, pulled off her dress and threw it on the floor.

 

Her legs spread, and her knees pointed to the ceiling. Michael positioned himself between them, resting his elbows on either side of her. Jaelyn put her hand on his chest before he could start.

 

“The last time we did this, you left me for like 5 years.”

 

He kissed her before looking at her with heavily lidded eyes. “Never again.”

 

Her hands went to his back just as his hips surged forward. He buried his length deep within her. His pace was fast and hard, but that’s the way she wanted it. With every thrust, she gasped or moaned. She grabbed his hair to give it a sharp tug.

 

“Fuck,” he groaned, before thrusting even harder.

 

Jaelyn looked forward to seeing the bruises that would form on her hips. Her nails dug into Michael’s shoulder blades and he groaned. She could tell he was close. He reached between their bodies, rubbing her clit. Her second orgasm was even more powerful than the first. She clung to him as her release brought on his own.

 

Their eyes were full of happy, pleasure-filled tears as they fell to the bed, absolutely spent.

 

 


	7. Witch Way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was no new chapter last week! I'm glad to be back. We're nearing the end, but there is still a few chapters left. Hope you enjoy!

_“See you in the dark. All eyes on you, my magician. All eyes on us. You make everyone disappear…”_

* * *

 

Despite discovering the love of her life was the antichrist, Jaelyn felt like she was in heaven. They faced each other in bed, laying on their sides. Michael trailed his hand up and down the side of her torso. The reunited lovers engaged in the normal sort of pillow talk that every couple has.

“Did the other occupants really have to die?”

“I told you,” Michael said, “Not all of them are dead. Ms. Mead is still alive.”

“But I lived with these people for like a year and a half,” Jaelyn said. “What if I didn’t want them all dead?” 

“You didn’t connect with them,” he said. “I’ve been watching you. You’ve kept to yourself. As usual.” 

If anyone else said it, it would have been a diss. But Michael had a fondness on his face as if it was something endearing to him.

“I guess. I did like Dinah Stevens though,” she mumbled. “She was nice to me.”

“Would you like me to bring her back?”

Jaelyn nodded, small smile on her face. She sighed, looking downward and leaning her head onto the pillow.

Michael’s hand trailed up from her side to her face.

“Something else is bothering you.”

“You’re very observant,” she said.

His fingers went to the back of her neck and he lifted her head, so she looked at his eyes. “Tell me.”

She sighed, “Okay. I’ve just been wondering something. It’s totally hypothetical, though. Was the apocalypse my fault? If I refuse to be with you, will that undo it?”

“Jaelyn…”

“I’m not saying I want to leave you,” she said quickly. “I’ve missed you for such a long time. But then, that’s kind of selfish of me, if I can undo it.”

He stroked the side of her face with his thumb before he placed his hand on her shoulder. “The apocalypse was inevitable. It had nothing to do with you. You’re here to help me make a new, better world. This is a good thing.” 

Jaelyn shot up, propped on to her elbow. Her head began to pound. “Well, what do we have to do to remake the world? It sounds like a lot of work.”

Michael gently pulled her back down against his chest and rubbed her back. “Don’t stress yourself. It will all come together. Just know that I love you, and everything will be fine.”

“I love you too,” she murmured against his chest. She breathed in his scent. Spice, cedarwood, and something that could only be described as her childhood bedroom. Her Michael. She closed her eyes and began to drift off.

Jaelyn was nearly asleep when she felt Michael disentangling himself from her limbs and getting out of bed. She rubbed her eyes and saw his bleary image putting his clothes on in the dark.

“Michael, where are you going?”

He sighed, kneeling to the bed after getting dressed.

“We have guests,” he kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep. It won’t take long to get rid of them.”

He left before she could respond. Jaelyn was exhausted. She wanted to listen to Michael and go back to sleep. But she knew something was up. She sat in the bed, mind racing. Who were these “guests”? Were they dangerous? Michael didn’t seem concerned about them. Then again, did the antichrist have anything to be afraid of? It wasn’t like he was invincible. Or was he?

Before she could further think it over, the door swung open. Jaelyn barely had time to cover her bare breasts with the silk sheet before Ms. Mead burst into the room.

She threw a burgundy velvet dress at Jaelyn. “Put this on.”

“Uh, why?”

“Our visitors want to speak with you before they leave. Now move.”

Mead left before she could ask another question.

* * *

 

Jaelyn followed Mead through the hall. Questions buzzed around in her head. Who were the guests? Why did they want to see her? Would her life ever be normal again? 

When they entered the foyer, she knew the answer to her last question was a resounding “No.”

Michael stood on the landing, and Mead went up the stairs to join him. Dinah Stevens was alive again, along with Coco and Mallory. They stood on the lower level in front of the fireplace. Somehow, Jaelyn knew it wasn’t Michael who brought them back. If she had to bet money, she was sure the three strangers had something to do with it.

There was a beautiful blonde woman who looked at Jaelyn with a soft expression. By her side was a woman with striking red, voluminous hair and Madison Fucking Montgomery. She used to watch Madison’s TV movies with her friends in middle school. Seeing her in this setting was very jarring.

The beautiful blonde woman stepped forward. “Jaelyn, can we speak with you for a moment?"

“Uh,” Jaelyn said dumbly. “Can you excuse me for a second, please?”

She scuttled past Madison and her rolling eyes to head to the landing where Michael stood. The smallest smirk was on his face. He seemed amused by her conferring with him.

“Michael, who are these people?”

“If you go with them, I’m sure they’ll tell you.”

“Well, are they dangerous?”

“Of course not,” he chuckled.

“So, is it okay if I talk with them?”

He touched her arm. “You don’t need to ask my permission.”

“I know,” she said, “But I just-”

“They won’t hurt you,” he smiled. “They know better than to even think about it.”

Jaelyn nodded, glancing back at the women. Truth be told, all she wanted to do was go back to Michael’s room. But she was also curious to see what these strangers could want with her.

“Okay,” she said. “I guess I’ll be back in a minute then.”

She kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand before she followed the three women to another room. The red-haired woman shut them in, and the tall blonde spoke again.

“Jaelyn, I’m Cordelia Goode. This is Myrtle Snow,” she gestured to the redhead. “And this is Madison Montgomery. We wanted to talk about your relationship with Michael and maybe discuss-”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Madison interrupted. She crossed her arms and glared as she stepped forward

Jaelyn crossed her arms too. “Excuse me?”

“Look, I get it,” Madison put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s tall, he’s gorgeous. He’s got that whole dangerous Volturi vibe. But there’s shit you don’t know about him.”

“I-I already know he’s the antichrist,” she shrugged away from Madison’s touch.

“Dear, it’s more than just a title,” Myrtle said. “This is a dangerous man.”

“Well, thanks for your concern,” Jaelyn backed away. “But I don’t really know you guys. And you don’t know Michael like I do.”

Madison's eyes rolled again. “Give me a fucking break.”

“Madison,” Cordelia reprimanded. She turned her attention to Jaelyn. “We’re witches. Our coven has been dealing Michael Langdon for some time.”

Jaelyn shrugged. “Okay. Um, no offense, but what does that have to do with me? Am I long-lost witch or something?”

Madison snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“No, you’re not a witch,” Cordelia said. “But I can see your soul. You have so much light and kindness. Michael will only corrupt you. That’s not what you want.”

Jaelyn shook her head. “You don’t know what I want.”

“Ugh, look,” Madison chimed in. Her eyes scanned Jaelyn’s body for a millisecond. “I can tell he dicked you down. And it was good. I know how that can make you feel loyal to someone. But you don’t owe him shit. The dating pool is way more limited now, but there’s gotta be hot guys out there that aren’t the literal spawn of Satan.”

“I’m not just with him because he’s hot and good at sex,” Jaelyn said. “I was made for him. We were destined to be together. The new world will be so much more beautiful than the old world ever was. We’re gonna help it rise from the ashes. I’m not going to let anything get in the way of that.”

In the silence that followed, even Jaelyn was surprised with herself. She didn’t know she felt so strongly about it until that moment in time.

Myrtle Snow shared a significant look with Cordelia, giving her a small nod. Then Cordelia looked at Madison. Madison turned to Jaelyn with a shrug.

“Sorry it had to be this way, bitch.”

As Madison’s hand raised, Jaelyn felt like she was underwater again. Michael’s voice filled her head.

 _“Close your eyes._ **_Now_ ** _.”_

In the face of danger, she did exactly what he said. She’d learned from the last time. Even if the witches killed her, Michael would bring her back. Jaelyn’s eyes shut tight, and she expected to fade away into the darkness. Instead, she heard a sickening exploding sound and three thuds to the ground. She kept her eyes closed, knowing that what was in the room was something she didn’t want to see.

Then there was the sound of the door opening and footsteps coming towards her. A soft touch came to her right hand.

“Jaelyn, look at me.”

She blinked her eyes open, and there he was. His eyes were misty, but sadness wasn’t his expression. He seemed angry, but not at her.

Out of habit, she started to look down at the ground. Michael grabbed her chin, keeping her gaze upward.

“We’re going to leave the room,” he said. “Just look at me.”

Jaelyn kept her eyes on his as he led her out of the room. The blood splatters she saw out of the corner of her eye were enough to show her what happened. They left the room, and his hand held hers tightly.

“You killed them,” she mumbled as they walked down the hall.

He was matter-of-fact in his reply, “They were going to kill you.”

She couldn’t argue with that. It wasn’t like the witches were the first deaths he was responsible for. The bombs killed most of the population. The poison apples killed almost everyone in the outpost, herself included. This just seemed so much more personal.

He led her to the foyer, where Ms. Mead and Dinah Stevens were. Mallory and Coco were nowhere to be seen.

Dinah came to her, arms outreached. “I’m happy to be here and serve your purpose.”

Jaelyn returned the hug, unsure of what she meant. “Uh, it’s good to see you too, Dinah.”

“I’m going to get some sleep,” she turned to Michael, “If that’s alright with you.”

Michael nodded. “Of course, Ms. Stevens. We’ll see you in the morning.”

She smiled at Jaelyn and then went to her room.

“Ms. Mead,” Michael said. “I’m sure you’d like to get some rest, too. It’s been an eventful night.”

Ms. Mead lips quirked up, which made Jaelyn very uncomfortable. “Yes, I’ll get some rest.” Off she went.

“Come on, Jaelyn,” Michael said. “Let’s go to the dining room.”

She was unsure why they wouldn’t just go back to the bedroom like everyone else did, but she was too tired and confused to object.

Her eyes widened when she was the table. There was food--actual food. Roast chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and all sorts of stuff.

Michael kissed her cheek, then pulled out a chair. Jaelyn sat down, and immediately began to put some chicken on her plate.

He sat next to her, not partaking in the food. His elbow was on the table, and his face was propped on his hand. The imposing, dominant act was completely gone. He looked up at her, his eyes shining. He looked less like the strange man who’d taken over the outpost and more like the boy she’d met so many years ago.

“I can’t eat if you’re staring at me,” Jaelyn chuckled, putting chicken on her plate. “If I ask where this came from, are you just gonna tell me it’s classified again?”

“Yes.”

She rolled her eyes and took a bite, and it was the best thing she’d ever tasted. It was hard to ignore Michael still staring at her.

“So,” Jaelyn said, “Apparently witches exist.”

“Cordelia went public years ago,” Michael said. “Robichaux’s Academy. Didn’t you see it on the news?”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I thought it was bullshit.” She put down her fork. “They tried to take me with them.”

He sat up straight.  “I knew they would.”

“They said you were going to corrupt me,” Jaelyn said.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” he chuckled bitterly.

“It’s like Cordelia thought I was some pure, innocent angel,” Jaelyn shook her head. “But I’m not.”

"I know," Michael said.

“Why did they try to kill me?”

Michael sighed. “They knew how it would have affected me.”

The brightness in his eyes dulled. What he’d done was horrifying, but he’d only done it because the thought of losing her really upset him. Jaelyn put down her fork and put her hand on his. “Thanks for saving me, Michael.”

He smiled, eyes shining again. “Any time.”


	8. Revelations

For a fleeting moment after Jaelyn woke up, she was afraid the last 24 hours were a dream. She woke up to the typical darkness of the outpost. As her eyes adjusted, she knew she wasn’t in her room. She looked over to the empty side of the large bed and felt a painful twinge on the side of her neck. Jaelyn caressed it, a smile on her face. A few hours before, she’d fallen asleep to Michael nibbling on the spot right above her collar bone.

Her stomach growled. After eating actual sustenance, her appetite had returned full force. She threw on the red dress from the night before and pulled her thick, curly hair into a bun. When she opened the door, Ms. Mead stood in the hall.

“I need to talk to you,” she said. Her tone was still authoritative, but her demeanor was softer than it had been the past year and a half.  

“Okay,” Jaelyn said, “Can we talk over breakfast?”

A spread of fresh food was all over the dining room table. Jaelyn didn’t care about finding out where it came from anymore. She sat down, gathering scrambled eggs, toast with grape jam, oranges slices, and a glass of milk.

Ms. Mead sat across from her, putting nothing on her plate. She stared as Jaelyn shoveled food into her mouth.

“Sorry,” Jaelyn said, “What did you want to talk about, Ms. Mead?”

“I want to talk about Michael.:

“Well, if you’re gonna tell me he’s the antichrist and dangerous, I already know.”

“No,” Ms. Mead retorted, “It’s about his relationship with me.”

Jaelyn swallowed the toast down hard. She was sure someone like Coco or Gallant would have been a threat to her relationship with Michael. Not Ms. Mead.

“Okay?”

Ms. Mead clasped her hands together. “He and I go back about as far as you two. The home he was born into was full of weak people who couldn’t appreciate his gifts. They rejected him. So, through a set of circumstances, he ended up with me.”

Something clicked in Jaelyn’s mind. Michael used to talk about the woman who took care of him. He said she was unusual, but nice. She also made great French toast.

“You were like a mother to him.”

“Yes.”

“So, did you know who I was this whole time?”

“No,” Ms. Mead said. “Michael changed my memories. He only restored them last night.”

Jaelyn nodded. “He kind of did the same to me.”

“I thought it was important that you know who I am,” she said.

Jaelyn downed the rest of her milk. She thought of the times Michael had mentioned the woman he was staying with, with such fondness in his eyes.

“Michael wanted me to meet you,” she said. “I know he wanted to know what you’d think of me.”

Ms. Mead gave her a once over before meeting Jaelyn’s eyes.

“Well, you’re not the kind of girl I pictured being with him.”

Jaelyn ignored the drop in the pit of her stomach. “Why? Should he have been with some skinny white girl? Blonde hair and blue eyes?”

“Race has nothing to do with it,” Mead rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you over the past year and the half. Always scurrying around, not talking to anybody. Apologizing all the time. Miss Venable was going to dispose of you so there’d be one less mouth to feed before Michael showed up.”

Jaelyn froze mid bite. Damn. She knew Venable didn’t like her. But, damn. Harsh.

“Well, it’s nice to know what you think of me, I guess,” She stabbed at her eggs.

“I wasn’t finished,” Mead said. “After I got my memory back, I remembered how Michael acted after your little dream dates. He still focused on his mission, but he wouldn’t shut up about you. He loved talking about what jokes you told, or how cute you were...He was a lovestruck kid.”

Jaelyn’s face felt warm. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Ms. Mead leaned forward in her seat, something between a grimace and smile on her face. “I’m still not sure if you have what it takes to be Michael’s wife. But you have my loyalty. I will keep you both safe.”

Jaelyn tried not to show her alarm at the word “wife” and focused on the sentiment behind what she said.

“Thanks, Ms. Mead.”

She cleared her plate and left the table. Before she left the room, she turned back.

“Uh, thanks for taking care of Michael.”

Ms. Mead nodded from her spot at the table. Jaelyn noticed the grin she was trying to hide.

* * *

 

An hour or so later, Michael found Jaelyn reading in the library. He wore one of his suits and showed no signs of being in a decontamination shower.

Jaelyn asked about radiation and where he and Dinah Stevens had been. He gave her that smirk of his and took her to an open room. From the fancy dresses and conspicuous makeup strewn about, she was sure it had been Coco’s. 

He tilted her face up and kissed her. His skin still held a chill from outside, but his lips were warm as ever. When he ended the kiss, he peered into her eyes.

“What’s on your mind?”

His hand slid to the small of her back, guiding her to an armchair.

“I talked to Ms. Mead,” Jaelyn said after sitting down. “She told me who she was. From back then.”

Michael tilted his head. “Does that upset you?”

“It’s just kind of sad I’m only meeting her now. And it sucks that you and I missed out on having a normal relationship. We never got to go on an actual date. Fully conscious, at least. I know we’re together now, and I’m so happy about that. But you’re busy. And everything is so different.”

Michael kneeled in front of her. Jaelyn had a passing thought about how she could bring such a powerful man to his knees. He took her hands to stop the scratching she wasn’t even conscious she’d been doing.

“The Ms. Mead in the outpost with us isn’t the original.”

Her gaze remained on their hands. “What?”

“The witches from last night,” he said, spitting the word _witches_ as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. “They discovered she’d been loyal to me and killed a warlock for me. They burned her at the stake.”

Jaelyn’s raised her widened eyes to his face. “Did you have to bring her back like you did with me?”

He shook his head. “Cordelia used a spell to hide her soul from me. I couldn’t retrieve her. The R&D department of the Cooperative created an android in her likeness.”

She decided to keep any comments about not being shocked Mead was a robot to herself. The only sound in the room was the fire crackling in the fireplace. Michael’s eyes were misty. Jaelyn took her hand and put it on the side of his face.

“I’m sorry.”

He turned his head to kiss her palm.

“It’s alright now.”

He looked down at her hands, and the fresh wounds healed before her eyes. Jaelyn’s heart swelled. This man would do anything to protect her.

“Wait,” she said, “Were you afraid they’d do the same to me?”

His tears were replaced with an edge when his eyes rose to hers.

“You saw the shit they tried to pull last night,” he said. “I wasn’t nearly as powerful when we were younger. If they knew about you, I have no doubt you would have had the same fate as Ms. Mead.”

Jaelyn sighed. “Well, shit. Being bound to the antichrist is hard. I thought it’d just be standing by your side and having great sex.”

He chuckled. “That is a large part of it.”

She looked down at their hands, playing with the big black ring on one of his fingers. “Michael?”

“Yes?”

“I’m so scared I’m gonna fuck this up,” she said.

“What do you mean?" 

She drew in a shaky breath and continued to fidget with Michael’s rings. “I have no doubt that you love me or that I love you. But I’m just a human. Nothing special about me. And I don’t have it in me to kill anyone. I know I was born to do this, but I don’t feel like I’m good enough to do anything you need.”

Then her eyes prickled with tears. Jaelyn had cried in front of him before--many times, in fact. This time, though, it felt like it further illustrated her point. She was way too emotional. It was pathetic.

“Baby,” Michael whispered, “That is not true.”

“Yeah, it is,” Jaelyn sniffed and wiped stray tears away.

“No, it isn’t,” he said firmly. He held her face in both of her hands. “You don’t need to kill anyone. You just need to be yourself. And you are more than enough for me. Are we clear?”

Before she could reply, he crashed his mouth against hers. It was so forceful, it almost felt like a punishment. But the soft way his tongue caressed hers proved it wasn’t. He gave her bottom lip a sharp nip before pulling away.

“We’re clear,” she whispered, a bit out of breath.

He pulled her in, giving her a more gentle kiss as a reward. Then he stood and helped her to her feet. He ushered Jaelyn to the door and told her they’d get lunch.

Before they could leave the room, she stopped, remembering something else that had been gnawing at her mind.

“Uh, Michael, I just have one more question about my talk with Ms. Mead.”

He paused, hand on the door. “Yes?”

“She mentioned something...About me being your wife?”

His smile was bright when he turned back to look at her. “Yes. We’ll get married and bound even closer together. And then, of course, we’ll have the children.”

He opened the doors and took her hand. Jaelyn followed him to the dining room, with many more questions popping in her mind.

* * *

 

Jaelyn thought Michael would elaborate further on this brand new information over lunch. Or at all throughout the rest of the day. But he didn’t. By night time, she was a bit miffed about the whole planned future she had no say in whatsoever. 

She sat on the edge of Michael’s bed, arms crossed. The way he acted like everything was hunky fucking dory pissed her off.

Michael came out of the shower, red bathrobe on. His hands were clasped behind his back and a smirk was on his lips. It infuriated her.

“You seem upset,” he said with a tilt of his head.

“I’m not sure ‘upset’ covers it,” she grumbled.

“Alright,” he said. With a move of his hand, a chair slid behind him. He sat down, crossing his legs. “I’m listening.”

If she wasn’t pissed off, Jaelyn would have found the sight of her barely clothed boyfriend looking so formal amusing. “Well, _Frasier_ , when the fuck were you gonna tell me we’re getting married? Or having kids?”

“Doesn’t it seem like the natural progression of our relationship?”  He asked.

“‘All you have to do is be yourself,’” she deepened her voice, ignoring and mocking him. “‘You don’t have to do anything else.’ Well, this seems like something pretty fucking big I have to do, Michael.”

She didn’t know how she wanted him to react, but his impassive calmness was not it at all.

“Don’t you want to marry me?” He asked.

She rolled her eyes. “What?”

He arched a brow, staying silent. Goddamn him.

“I don’t know,” Jaelyn sighed. “We just got back together. It’s the end of the world. Isn’t marriage kind of pointless now?”

“The old world is dead,” he said. “But a new, better world is beginning. And I want to enter it with you as my wife.”

Jaelyn stared, unimpressed. “What is that?  A proposal?”

Without breaking eye contact, Michael opened his right hand. A small black box flew from the desk into his grasp. He held it out in front of her.

“When we were together before,” she looked at the jewelry box, “The times I didn’t feel crazy, I did want to marry you. The thought of being with anyone else made me sick. And that’s still true, I guess.”

“Our souls are already intertwined,” Michael said. “The marriage will only solidify it.”

He opened the box. It was a gold chain with big red ruby in the shape of an oval.

“Should you accept, of course.”

Her eyes flickered to his. The corners of her lips quirked up. Of course, she would accept. She took the box, admiring the necklace. And then she closed it.

“You’ve never asked if I want kids.”

“I already know you do.”

“How?”

“Because I know you, Jaelyn,” he said. “I know your mind, body, and soul.”

She gritted her teeth. In passing, it was possible she imagined tiny kids running around with wild hair and bright blue eyes. Maybe she’d imagined dorky matching family outfits. And perhaps, she thought of how she’d cry on her kid’s first day of school. Her mother had wanted a kid more than anything. Maybe Jaelyn had inherited that desire.

“I wanted to wait until I got better,” she protested.

Michael gave her a significant look.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she said before he could speak. “‘Oh, Jaelyn, you’re perfect the way you are. Don’t change a thing!’ But you know what I mean. I’m an anxious mess. How am I supposed to take care of a kid?”

He smirked, amused of her imitation of him. “You won’t be alone. I’ll be right here. So will Ms. Mead and Ms. Stevens. And you, my love, are more capable than you will ever know.”

She sighed. “So, when will we be having these Satanic kids?”

“It doesn’t have to be right away,” he said. “Let’s focus on marriage first.”

Jaelyn grinned. She opened the jewelry box and thrust the necklace in Michael’s hand. Jumping to her feet, she turned with her back to him and lifted stray hairs from nape of her neck.

His warmth was behind her half a second later. He traced his finger over the love bite above her collarbone before placing the necklace on her.

They walked to the nearest mirror. The ruby sat right above her chest. Jaelyn toyed with it and smiled.

“Should we set a date?"

He rested his chin on her shoulder.

“How about tomorrow?” He whispered in her ear.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end, folks. Just a few chapters left. I hope you're enjoying!


End file.
